yarrow2

Latest posts by yarrow2

One of my spring flowering Montana's didn't even bud this year which has me puzzled - unless it's been just too much rain and not enough sunny days at all. Everything in the same area is blooming away fine to normal schedule. Ah well. It seems to have been that kind of year.

I have a rose which due to a tree has been stuck in quite deep shade this year and it has bloomed the best it ever has. But meanwhile, another lovely rose which is usually on it's second flush at this time hasn't had a single bud all summer and seems to have gone to sleep - and it gets around 8 hours of sun a day - although, we've hardly had sunny days to boast of and when there has been sun it has been accompanied by wind.

Definitely something odd in this garden this year. Some of the sturdiest full summer blooming dependables have hardly bloomed at all - and the more difficult beasts have bloomed and are over more quickly than normal. Tiring stuff this gardening trying to work out all the elements which knock the timing off or when there are so many changes from the norm.

A whole border in my garden is infested with ants. It's a disaster and such a disappointment this year. Never noticeably had them before. Interested to read about the cloves - will be the easiest for me to get and try. Glad to pick up this thread.

This is a very poor photograph which I apologise for but to be honest this thing is creeping me out a bit.

It's latched on to the underside of a geum leaf and this 'thing' is over 2" long. It's been there a week with no sign of emerging and the only identifying marks are two kind of dots on a leg-like looking bit - which even I can only make out if I zoom in.

Does anybody know what it is? I know the photo is pretty bad. It looks more of an armoured type beastie than something which is going to turn out pleasant!

Both my Bradshaws haven't grown this year. I've had 6" leaves since the Spring and nothing else. I lifted them and both had loads of tiny curly little worm-like thing all around the roots. These plants didn't grow well when I first bought them and they've only ever bloomed once and then, nothing.

I gave the roots a good clean and a trim and have re-planted them - so hoping for something next year. Other geums in the same soil have always done really well - so I'm suspecting both plants came with whatever has caused the problem. It's frustrating as I thought they were pretty expensive when I bought them, but as ever I was desperate to have Bradshaws and they were the only two I could get locally.

PatE - Thanks again so much. I can't see your photos just now - on my screen all photos posted since yesterday just come up as small black boxes with an X in the middle. Will try again later. Might be my browser - not sure.

PatE: Thanks so much for taking the time to look up this diagnostic detail, scan it and post it. I also began to trawl the net - but the detail on Snow Gum and others gave me a headache and a huge regret that I was never any good at the level of detail required to pin down species etc.

I am going to call it the Snow Gum from now on; although on the internet it was confusing as some of the gum nursery information seemed to imply that it wouldn't grow as tall as the one here. But then again, different conditions and all that might make a difference and as we are hemmed in on all sides by tall flats - we tend to get too tall or leggy ordinary plants as the sun is never direct, but comes over the height of the buildings from east to west each day. This means that in our gardens here, the plants all 'lean' and stretch towards the direction where the sun is most bright which tends to be around 1pm for an hour or two, just because of the tall buildings. So the plants all lean towards the West in my garden. Walking through this garden sometimes feels like being on a ship!!

I took a photo of the end of a young branch brought down this morning by fighting pigeons. I think these are 'juvenile' leaves and seem to fit leaf b. on your page regarding the veining. I've also found more photo of the stages of what I called pods but which from your info. pages are the 'operculum' - I've concluded that the stages of my 'operculum' are as in the very bottom right of your page - shedding in two stages the calyx and corolla! (I'm a perfect example now of having been given a little information and my conclusions are probably 'a dangerous thing' as the saying goes). The bark never changes from the smooth grey.

Many thanks Pat. I'm going to call it Snow Gum no matter what - as it seems to me it most looks like one. It's great to give it a name. (I'd still love to know who sowed it or how it came to be there. I've been here 30 years and as there are so few gardener neighbours - nobody seemed to notice the tree until it was massive).

I'd leave them a long time yet and see what happens. I was about to tip out a stawberry pot with nothing happening whilst the others were going great guns and suddenly a few days ago up came a shoot and leaves and they're looking very perky, but small still.

What an astounding job you've done lovegardening77. As Tesni says - gardening can be very therapeutic and a great boon to your well-being, especially at times when things become a bit much to bear. All best wishes.

0Pat E: Can I break in rudely here and pick your brains on eucalyptus, as I've just posted today that I've discovered mystery seed pods in my garden are from a eucalyptus in a neighbours garden which flowered first week in June for the first year ever. Nobody knows how this tree came to be here and it's now about 50ft tall. Two years ago we had a tree surgeon take about 10ft off the top as when it was windy it was tapping on fourth floor windows quite aggressively. This may have only served to make it shoot like mad afterwards though as it has really put on top growth again. It's very beautiful and wispy in the wind, but neighbour discussion about whether to have a tree surgeon cut it down altogether or whether we just keep it are divided - and it was going to cost a lot of money. I've posted these pics on another thread today because I finally realised the hundreds of pods in my garden were from this tree. Do you know which eucalyptus it is? I'm assuming it's eucalyptus from pictures but maybe it's not really. Some of the lower leaves always turn a beautiful red from Spring, but only on the lower branches.

Thanks in advance and apologies for breaking into your topic Spikle, but too good an opportunity that Pat E is around.

This is one of the hundreds of pods which landed all over the garden all over plants and the ground.